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Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials Migration – Keys to Success

Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials Migration – Keys to Success

[Today's post comes to us courtesy of Ajay Sarkaria, Rituraj Choudhary, Harshal Charde and Sandeep Biswas from Global Business Support]

The purpose of this post is to help you successfully migrate from a previous Windows Server SKU, Small Business Server SKU, or a Windows Server Essentials SKU current in Product Lifecycle to Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials.

If your business has up to 25 users and 50 devices, you may migrate to Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials. If the count extends up to 100 users and 200 devices, to use the features empowered by Windows Server Essentials role, you must migrate to the Standard or Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2012 R2 and install the Windows Server Essentials Experience (ServerEssentials) role.

7. On the Source server, make sure the Active Directory is healthy.

If there is only one DC, make sure the SYSVOL and NETLOGON shares are present. Also, check the File Replication Service event log to see if it is in Journal Wrap. The event below is an example of what to look for.

Event Type: Error Event Source: NtFrs Event ID: 13568 Description: The File Replication Service has detected that the replica set "DOMAIN SYSTEM VOLUME (SYSVOL SHARE)" is in JRNL_WRAP_ERROR.

If there are multiple domain controllers in the source environment, force an Active Directory replication between them in Active Directory Sites and Services and verify it is successful.

You can also run the Microsoft IT Environment Health Scanner in the source environment to uncover any AD health issues.

8. On the Source server, check the Primary group of the account you will use to install the Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials server into the domain.

Make sure the Primary group is set to something besides Domain Admins, Enterprise Admins, or Schema Admins. In the properties of the user account, click the Member Of tab, and at the bottom look for the Primary group.

Make sure the Primary group IS NOT: Domain Admins or Enterprise Admins or Schema Admins.

To change it, select Domain Users and click the Set Primary Group button.

9. Make sure the Admin account you are using for the migration has a STRONG password.

Strong passwords must meet the following minimum requirements:

Passwords cannot contain the user's account name or parts of the user's full name that exceed two consecutive characters.

Passwords must be at least six characters in length.

Passwords must contain characters from three of the following four categories:

English uppercase characters (A through Z).

English lowercase characters (a through z).

Base 10 digits (0 through 9).

Non-alphabetic characters (for example, !, $, #, %).

10. Install the samsrv.dll update from KB 939820 on all Windows 2003 domain controllers in your environment, including the SBS 2003.

11. Disable WSUS on Source domain prior to migration.

If you have a deadline set for an update in WSUS that is past-due, your Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials setup can fail when the update is automatically installed and the Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials is rebooted. We recommend disabling WSUS on the source server for the duration of the migration. For this, on the source server, open IIS Manager, and stop the “WSUS Administration” site.

12. In the source domain, disable anything that may install software on machines added to the domain.

Similar to the point above, your Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials setup can fail if something outside of it initiates a server restart while it’s in the middle of its setup routine. Things to keep an eye out for:

Logon Scripts

Group Policy

Remote Management Tools

Devices like printers that may install a driver that requires a reboot.

13. Make a System State Backup of the source server.

We recommend a full backup of the source, however at least a system state backup of the source server is required to recover from any failures that may be encountered during the migration.

We recommend you use native Windows Server Backup.

14. Do not make any changes on the network.

From now until the Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials migration setup is complete, do not make any changes on the network. This is not a good time to be doing any of the following:

Changing passwords

Installing Software

Removing Domain Controllers

Changing out the network hardware

Restoring servers

Rebooting domain controllers

Re-wiring the network

15. Check the "Log on as Batch job" user right assignment on the Default Domain Controllers group policy.

Hi,Thanks for the article. I am a little stuck on the order of migration despite reading numerous posts and blogs.I like many others it seems am planning on migrating from SBS 2003 to 2012 Essentials R2, with a 2008 R2 server running Exchange 2010.Now, I have built the Essentials box (but not yet logged in for the first time), and have built the new Exchange server (without yet installing Exchange) and joined that box to the domain....Whats my next step!?!? Run with the Essentials configuration in an existing AD domain, or install Exchange 2010 into the 2003 Domain and migrate that, then run with the Essentials config for existing AD domain?!?!